to thrive

Theme Verse

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. - Ephesians 4:11-16

The Purpose of Equipped

The purpose of Equipped is simply to equip you for ministry. The Greek word translated equip in verse 12 is καταρτισμός. It means to bring to a condition of fitness, completing, perfecting. This is an ongoing, purposeful growth in faith and love throughout life, that really can only be done with others. Through this series we are equipping each other to be fully prepared to serve, to love, to lead, to give, to do whatever mission or ministry God has for us individually and collectively.

Why Equipped?

The purpose of equipped is stated above, but you might still wonder, "Why?" Our belief at Thrive is every person is called by God and has a ministry that will impact other people deeply. Many people get somewhere in life, but few do it on purpose or with a sense of God's guidance. Equipped will hopefully give you a more focused sense of purpose and direction. You could call Equipped a leadership development process or use more theological terms like sanctification and stewardship. Regardless, we want you to grow up into all God has in store for you for the sake of God's kingdom and your impact on the lives of others. We believe that is best done in community, through relationships and through personal reflection and application. That's why we developed Equipped.

Learning Goals for Session 1: Disciples will...

Identify how God has worked in their lives through the highs and lows to shape them into His followers.
Articulate that story of their lives in terms of God's grace for others to benefit from hearing.
Apply the story of their lives with wisdom to discern how God may be shaping them for ministry.

חָ֭זוֹן Chazown

Chazown is the first step in our Equipped series, developed by Craig Groeschel. We hope this activity that explores the experiences, events and people in your life will give you deeper insight into your purpose and direction for ministry. We also believe you will learn a lot about your huddle members in Equipped through this process.

Getting to Know each other's Spiritual Journey - Chazown Experience

Chazown is the transliteration of the Hebrew word for vision. It is the viewpoint, the ability to see and understand, that is perceive. It is needed for us all to see our lives from God's perspective, how God has used all the events and people in our lives to shape us and make us who we are on this journey. The Chazown Experience was developed by Craig Groeschel as a way to connect the dots for people in this matter. It is also a great way to get to know each other more deeply.

What You'll Need

You'll need the following to complete your Chazown timeline:

About 30 yellow post it notes
About 15 pink post it notes
About 5 green and 5 blue post it notes
A pen or marker
A large poster board or poster paper

After watching session 2.1 we will begin to use these items.

Step 1

Recall Past Experiences, Events, People

First take the yellow post it notes. Think through the events, people and experiences you have had from childhood on that have impacted you. Write down each of these on a separate yellow sticky note. Don't filter anything out. Let anything that comes to mind be written down. Don't worry about any order or organization to them, just place them all on your large poster paper or posterboard.

Step 2

Identify the Painful or Difficult Items

Now look at all the yellow notes and choose any that were difficult or painful experiences for you at the time. Rewrite these items down on a pink sticky note. If you don't want anyone to understand these things, that's okay. You can use a code or shorthand, just so you know what the events are.

Dont filter out or take away any items because they were painful. In fact, often we learn the most or see God's hand in our lives more clearly in difficult times.

Step 3

Creating "chapters" in our lives.

Now looking at both the pink and yellow notes on your poster, start to think in terms of chapters of your life. They may be simply done by chronology of childhood, teen years, etc. Or you can divide your life by places you lived or themes of important lessons. Try to create at least three chapters but likely no more than six. Use a blue sticky note to place a heading title over each chapter.

Step 4

Life Lessons Learned

For each chapter in your life, now consider what lesson did you learn in that time period about God, about yourself and your purpose, and then take a green sticky note and place that at the bottom of each collum of notes.

We are now ready to share with our huddle some of the highlights of our Chazown.

Let's Do This!

Finishing our first gathering, reflect on what you've learned through your Chazown. Write a short reflection on what you have learned so that next time we gather, you are able to share some of the highlights. You can then take your reflection from Chazown and email it below for feedback and encouragement.

Email Your Chazown Reflection

Learning Goals for Session 2: Disciples will...

Explore how they are gifted by the Holy Spirit for ministry
Apply the purpose of Equipped to their lives so that they write out personal growth goals.

We are gifts to each other, to equip and serve one another. John Barclay comments on Ephesians 4, the passage above, in his book Paul and the Gift:

Every believer is to reckon himself or herself dependent upon the single gift of divine mercy: Believers cannot boast as if there were something bout themselves that rendered them worthy of the divine call. Re-grounded in the mercy of God, they are able to perceive their differentiated roles with in the believer-community as divinely distributed gifts. Just as Paul's authority to instruct as an apostles is a product of grace/gift (χὰρις), so each of them as a gift (δὸσις) given to them... Within his community, honor does not have to be sought: All the honor that counts has already ben given, or will be given by God. Freed from the need to establish their honor in competition... believers can afford to grant it to others. - John Barclay. Paul and the Gift. Eerdmans, 510.

Definitions of Spiritual Gifts in the New Testament (Taken from the Bible Project)

Apostle

Apostle, when capitalized, means those who saw the risen Jesus and were commissioned by him. This word is sued to refer to the twelve disciples (Matt. 10:2, Mark 3:14) and the others who saw Jesus, like James (Gal. 1:19) and Paul (Gal. 1:1).

In general use, an apostle is a passionate initiator of spreading the good news and leading new efforts of church planting and building in new centers of ministry. It is used to refer to leaders in the early Jesus movement who helped initiate new ministry projects, like Andronicus and Junia (Rom. 16:7) and Barnabas (Acts 14:14).

Prophet

Prophets are people steeped in the Scriptures and in the nuances of the present cultural moment, who can discern the will of God for specific people/communities and address them with authority.

In 1 Corinthians 14, Paul does not describe prophecy as "ecstatic speech." Rather, the prophet has control of their faculties (14:32), and prophecy engages the mind (14:15, 19). It requires thought and mental engagement.

This does not seem like ecstatic speech. It's equated with instruction (katekhesis, 14:19), and it helps people learn (manthano, 14:31) and be encouraged (parakaleo, 14:31).

"Prophesying in Paul's theology is the performing of intelligible, articulate speech acts which depend on the active agency of the Holy Spirit mediated through human minds and lives to build up, encourage, exhort, and comfort others in the context of interpersonal relations." - Thistelton, Anthony C. (2013). The First Epistle to the Corinthians (The New International Greek Testament Commentary). Eerdmans. 1 Cor 14:2.

Evangelist

Someone who is able to share the good news about Jesus in a uniquely effective way.

The noun is used only to describe Philip of Caesarea (Acts 21:8) and Timothy (2 Tim. 4:5), but the verb is simply "to announce good news," which widens the reference considerably.

Pastor

Pastor literally means "shepherd," someone who cares about and can effectively guide the spiritual growth of a community of disciples.

Jesus is described as the "head pastor" of the universal church (1 Pet. 2:25, 5:4). The noun is used only here, whereas the verb is used of church leaders "to shepherd" (1 Pet. 5:2; Acts 20:28). In the New Testament, this refers to an activity, not the title of an office.

Teacher

A teacher is someone with growing knowledge of the Scriptures and the story of Jesus, who is able to explain and help people adopt a Christian imagination and its corresponding lifestyle.

Teachers are listed after apostles and prophets in 1 Corinthians 12:28. Their role seems to be connected to the passing on and explication of doctrines and traditions of the church (of. Rom. 6:17; 1 Cor. 4:17; Col. 2:7).

Teachers appear to be central in the growth in wisdom and knowledge that Paul desires for the Ephesians in 1:17-19 and 3:18-19. (For more, see Stephen E. Fowl, Ephesians: A Commentary, 141.)

Reflection Question

According to the world giftedness would be something to pursue and bolster in order to receive personal honor. But Paul has a different view of spiritual gifts. According to Paul, what is the purpose of the gifts in Ephesians 4?

Everyone is a gift to the community of Jesus Christ, the Church. You may have multiple ways to serve. Some of these above may be your giftedness. As you prayerfully consider these things, what do you believe is your ministry in the Body of Christ?

Let's Do This!

Finishing our second gathering, reflect on what you've learned. Answer the following prompts and send them in for feedback by using the email link below.

In what ways ways have you grown beyond being an infant (Eph.4:14) in your faith life? In what ways do you still need to grow?
How are you currently ministering to others? How do you hope to minister in the future?
What are your personal goals for this "Equipped" series?

Email Your Equipped Reflection

Learning Goals for Session 3: Disciples will...

Define how disciples are equipped and with what and whom.
Differentiate The Gospel from other "gospels" people believe.

So with what do we equip each other?

Read these passages below and see what we are called to put on in them all.

But that is not the way you learned Christ!—21 assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to put off your old self,[f] which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. - Ephesians 4:20-24

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. - Colossians 3:12-14

The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. - Romans 13:12-14

In these passages the early followers of Jesus were called to be equipped with..... JESUS himself! Yes, Jesus IS the Gospel. He is the one with whom we are to be equipped. His love and truth and peace and joy and kindness and patience. It is through the Gospel of Jesus Christ we are equpped for ministry.

The book of Acts starts with Luke writing:

In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, - Acts 1:1

Luke is saying that now Jesus is CONTINUING to do and teach through his followers. And the rest of Acts shows us how. We are the continuation of Acts today. We are equipped with the Gospel, who is Jesus. And that Gospel is the power of God.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” - Romans 1:16-17

So when we say "Gospel" what are we talking about?

These two videos from The Bible Project help us with defining The Gospel. Watch these and take some reflection notes.

What is The Gospel?

Another way to help define The Gospel is by what it is NOT. This song by Jon Guerra called "American Gospel" is thoughtprovoking. There are many things that claim to be a gospel, every ism is one: Nationalism has a "gospel" as does Fundamentalism and Utilitarianism etc. Listen to this song and then discuss on the Padlet below these questions: What "gospels" do you see people believing today? What do they promise? What do they deliver? How do they differ from The Gospel in Jesus Christ?

Let's Do This!

Finishing our first gathering, reflect on what you've learned. Answer the following prompts and send them in for feedback by using the email link below.

In what ways ways have you grown beyond being an infant (Eph.4:14) in your faith life? In what ways do you still need to grow?
How are you currently ministering to others? How do you hope to minister in the future?
What are your personal goals for this "Equipped" series?

Email Your Equipped Reflection on Ministry

Learning Goal for Session 4: Disciples will...

Articulate the Gospel in various forms so that they can share it with others.

Watch this video and consider the 4 "ladders" of different "isms" that are mentioned. They are four broad categories of attempts of religion in various forms. Consider all the isms you can think of. How do they all fit into one or more of these four categories? How are they all like "ladders" one has to climb, one compares with others how high up they are, and one is never certain they have reached the top? How is the Gospel different than these ladders? Use these questions on the next Padlet to converse with others your learning.

Let's Do This!

Finishing our first gathering, reflect on what you've learned. Answer the following prompts and send them in for feedback by using the email link below.

In what ways ways have you grown beyond being an infant (Eph.4:14) in your faith life? In what ways do you still need to grow?
How are you currently ministering to others? How do you hope to minister in the future?
What are your personal goals for this "Equipped" series?

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